Page 35 of Big Island Sunrise
She walked around to the driver’s side and got in. The puppy had his whole face burrowed behind Kai’s back. But Kai was smiling, and that was enough for her.
“Hey Kai, do you know what fostering is?”
Kai was petting the frightened dog and murmuring reassurances. He looked up at her and shook his head.
“It means we help the puppy heal and get used to being around people, and then we find him a forever home. Are you up for that?”
“Yeah!”
“Okay. Let’s get this guy to the vet.”
Fostering was a good plan. A solid compromise. But as she drove slowly through the parking lot, glancing at Kai in the rearview mirror, she knew in her gut that this wasn’t going to be a temporary thing.
Their flight home, whenever it happened, would be carrying one frightened dog in the cargo hold.
11
Lani
“Whatchoo doin?” Rory asked in a singsong, climbing up into her lap. Lani sat at the desk in the home office that, up until today, had served as their bedroom.
“I made a menu for a restaurant in town.” She was just putting the finishing touches on her menu design for the Hilo café, shifting her drawings around the page until each one was in just the right place. “And look at this. I made coloring pages too.”
Rory gasped theatrically and put her little hands over her heart. “For me?”
“Yep.” She reached over to the printer and picked up the stack of drawings. There hadn’t been room for all of her ideas on the menu, but they made fun coloring pages for kids. “Here you go.”
“Thanks, Mama!” She grabbed the stack eagerly and lifted the pages up one by one, looking through the plants and animals that Lani had drawn.
“You’re welcome, baby.”
“Eep!” Rory squeezed her eyes closed when she got to the mako shark. “It’s too scary!”
Lani laughed. “Sorry. Here. You want to color the hibiscus flowers?”
“No, I want to color the octopus.”
“Great. Take them all out to your cousins, okay?”
“Okay!” She ran off, shouting for Lulu and Kiana.
Lani emailed the files to Tenn and then logged out of her accounts.
“You all packed up?” Mahina asked from the doorway.
“Hi Auntie. Yeah, we’re all packed.”
“We’re gonna miss you.”
Lani stood and hugged her aunt. “We’re not going far.”
“Still, it was nice to have you here.”
“Thanks for giving us a place to land.”
“Leilani!” ‘Olena called from out front. “Emma’s here.”
She rolled her suitcases out through the front room, where Rory was coloring with her cousins. “Time to go, baby.”
